


reimagined

by sunsofmars (sun_fey)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alvarez Teikoku Hen | Alvarez Empire Arc (Fairy Tail), Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Gruvia Friendship, Juvia-Centric, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, mainly, natsu and lucy are kinda background ngl, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:01:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24909616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sun_fey/pseuds/sunsofmars
Summary: my take on the gray vs. juvia fight in the alvarez arc, and some stuff after.
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster & Juvia Lockser, Lucy Heartfilia/Juvia Lockser (Implied), Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster (implied)
Kudos: 31





	reimagined

**Author's Note:**

> listen I actually reread the last arc for a completely different fic, but then I got to their fight and knew this had to be done. so voila!
> 
> I literally did not read the rest of the bullshit bc I cannot.... stand.... the Alvarez arc.... i fucking hate it
> 
> the only mf from Alvarez that deserves rights is Brandish and that's facts 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
> 
> anyway pls enjoy
> 
> (edited: 2020-28-06)

Juvia inhaled sharply as she was freed from the ice by Natsu's flames. She looked around at her friends, checking them for injuries, and seeing Gray with his Devil Slayer magic activated, the black marks standing out on his pale skin.

"Gray! Are you alright?" She called to him. He turned to them, grinning widely.

"Yeah! You?" He called back, eyes darting from her to Natsu, lingering for a bit on the dragonslayer.

She nodded, turning her attention to Lucy, who was in her Taurus Stardress still. She blushed, glad that the blonde was alright, before turning back to the man who froze them, getting into position to engage him.

"The tables have turned, mister!" Lucy was saying, pointing at the Alvarez general. "If we all hang up on y — "

Lucy was cut off by the sound of loud, thudding footsteps. Juvia gasped, eyes wide as Brandish, who'd turned giant, snatched up the blonde, along with Natsu and Happy.

"I shall be taking these three," the green haired woman boomed, turning and stomping away.

"Hey! What's the big idea?! Let us go!" Natsu screamed, Happy squirming beside him. 

"Natsu!" Gray shouted. "Happy! Lucy!" 

"Brandish! Stop this! We — " Lucy's breath hitched as she choked, her ribs being squeezed as Brandish ordered her to be silent. 

"Lucy-chan!" Juvia cried, alarmed, turning and aiming to go after them.

"Hold it right there!" Gray yelled, right on Juvia's heels. 

Neither of them got the chance, because with a wave of Invel's hand, collars made of ice appeared around their throats, connecting them by a chain.

Juvia stiffened, her body freezing and mind going numb. She gripped at her scalp and groaned as her free will began to slip away.

"My body...... it won't obey me....." she whimpered.

"My head..... everything's going dark......." Gray grunted. "What....." 

"Ice Lock. It seals away a person's heart and makes them my willing puppets," Invel explained, eyes hard. "You two will fight to the death, and you have zero say in the matter." 

"What?!" Gray gasped, angry. 

Juvia's eyes widened in horror.

"The chain won't break unless one of you lies lifeless." Invel continued, hands crossed behind his back, a smirk gracing his features.

_Can't hurt him_.... _I_ _would rather die_.... Juvia managed to think. She could feel rage and pure, unadulterated hatred brewing beneath her skin. Juvia slowly turned to Gray, who was already glaring at her.

" _ **Juvia**_...."

" _ **Gray**_...." 

Steam began rising off her body, and frost appeared on Gray's twitching fingertips.

"Whenever you're ready..... You may not rest until one of you is dead!"

_I can't do this..... I have to think of something!_ Juvia thought desperate as both she and Gray readied themselves, poised to attack.

They both lunged for each other at the same time, magic meeting and clashing in the middle. The impact threw them both backward, and Juvia hissed as ice met her boiling skin. She lunged again, only for Gray to punch her. She retaliated by aiming a kick at his head, which he blocked. The chain yanked at her throat, and she let out a choked gasp as Gray grabbed her ankle and yanked, slamming her onto the cold ground, and then rained a barrage of hits onto her, roaring in rage.

She protected her face as best as she could, baring with the assault as she placed a well aimed kick straight into his gut, and he wheezed, backing up enough to allow her to get back off. They faced off again, huffing and panting heavily. 

_Juvia doesn't want to do this_....

They fought back and forth like that for a while, blood splattering against the icy ground as they battled. Magic flared , walls of ice and puddles forming around them

_Juvia doesn't want to hurt her friend_....

Juvia spat out a mouthful of the red substance as she landed another attack on Gray, dodging a wave of ice shards as he aimed it at her. She skidded away from him, wiping blood from her forehead and ignoring the pain.

_Juvia has no choice..... Juvia will end her own life.... it's the only solution!_

Juvia raised her arm, summoning more magic and shaping the water into a blade.

"Any resistance is futile. You will succumb to the Ice Lock, and one of you will end up dead." Invel sneered. 

"Juvia will never fall victim to this magic! You can't make her harm her nakama, no matter what!" The water mage screamed, and smirked at the utter bewilderment on Invel's face. She looked to Gray, who was peering at her incredulously, and smiled.

"I'm so glad I got to know you, Gray.... thank you for being my friend...." 

Bracing herself, she squeezed her eyes shut and gasped as her own magic stabbed her through the abdomen. She retched and hacked up blood, her eyes opening.

What she saw made her body turn cold.

Gray had clearly come up with the same exact idea she did, because there was a sword made from his ice piercing through his own torso. He gaped at her, eyes wide.

"Why..... would you go and do something stupid like that...." he spluttered.

"Gray...." Juvia's eyes filled with tears. 

"Juvia... I couldn't bear to hurt you.... you're my best friend! I wanted to protect you... I'm so sorry....." Gray's arms began to shake as he felt himself weakening. 

"Juvia wanted to do the same..... you're one of the best things that's ever happened to Juvia.... Juvia is sorry she wasn't stonger...." Juvia wept, her body shutting down. 

They both fell, their blood spilling out beneath their broken bodies as the chain cracked and crumbled. Tears flowed from Juvia's eyes as they got heavy, then closed. 

Suddenly, flashes of her life and her friends appeared behind her eyelids: getting matching tattoos with Gajeel after they left Phantom; joining Fairy Tail and finally feeling like she belonged; Gray as he smirked and told her that of course, they were friends; joining hands with everyone on Tenroujima; Lucy as she laughed and joked with her, Lucy smiling brightly as they danced at the party in the capital, Lucy as she cried over losing Aquarius, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.... 

"Juvia loves you, Lucy.... sorry she couldn't tell you...." the water mage whispered, using the last of her strength to cast one more spell before everything went still. 

Invel gawked at the two bodies laying several yards away as he began to sweat profusely.

_They_.... _they took their own lives instead of each other's?! How_.... _how is that possible_....

He grit his teeth and turned around, beginning to walk away as he dispelled his magic. 

_I've made a gross miscalculation_..... _it seemed that eliminating END will fall into my hands_....

Gray startled awake, confused as to why he was laying on the ground, and why everything hurt so goddamn much.

Then it hit him.

_I fought Juvia.... and we..... we both tried to off ourselves..... how the fuck am I still alive?_

He struggled to sit up on his knees, holding his side, which he slowly noticed wasn't bleeding anymore. In fact, when he looked at it, he saw that it was sealed off.

_What...? What is this....?_

He could feel an odd sensation flowing through his body. He glanced down, and noticed a tube in his arm.

With budding horror, he slowly looked over at Juvia's still body, and caught sight of that same tube in her arm. Blood was flowing from her body into his.

Juvia had saved his life while her own was ending.

Gray was speechless.

_She did that..... for me....._

"This... this isn't real..." he mumbled, reaching out for the blue haired woman, pulling her closer to him. She felt so cold.... "Juvia... Why...?" 

His eyes watered, and he cradled her closer as he began to sob and wail.

"I'm so sorry, Juvia..... I promise, I'll avenge you, even if it's the last thing I do...." 

Everything was quiet, and motionless, and dark. Juvia was sure this was the end, and made peace with it.

Until she suddenly woke up and was met with the sight of Wendy leaning over her, using her healing magic on her wounds, with Carla beside her.

Immediately, the water mage tried to sit up, and Wendy jolted. 

"No, that's not a good idea. Please don't try to get up just yet," Wendy told her.

"Wendy....?" Juvia coughed.

"Had we found you a moment sooner, you really would have been a goner," Carla muttered.

"Well, to be exact, it was Carla's precognitive abilities that helped us find you." Wendy smiled.

_Juvia..... is still alive....._

"Wendy.... Carla..... Juvia cannot thank you enough for saving her...."

"There's no need, Juvia-san! Healing is just what I do." Wemdy assured her. Juvia beamed at the girl, then fully sat up, looking down at her battered body and tirn clothes with a grimace. She then noticed at she was still lying in a pool of her own blood, and made to move when she froze.

"Juvia? Are you okay? Does anything still feel out of place?" Wendy fretted.

The water mage didn't answer her. She was too busy staring at the empty, bloody spot next to hers. 

Gray should've been there.

"Where.... where is Gray? Have you seen him? Do you know if he's okay?" Juvia turned to the young dragonslayer and Exceed, who looked at each other, then back at her in worry.

".... no one else was here when we got here. It was just you, Juvia-san." Wendy frowned.

_Juvia's spell must have worked.... surely, Gray is alright......_

Juvia stood up on shaking legs, and Wendy supported her as they began to walk.

"Let's find the others, Juvia-san. We should get you somewhere where you can rest properly."

Juvia made a noise of affirmation, breath shuddering as she exhaled.

_Hopefully, everyone else is alright too...... wherever they are......_

The three of them found Gray, Erza, and Natsu standing together, the redhead hugging the two men tightly, tears falling from her eyes. 

Juvia broke apart from Wendy and limped over to Gray. He looked her over with dazed wonderment, as if he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him.

"You're alive.... I'm glad...." he mumbled before he collapsed. Juvia caught him in her arms, breath hitching as pain flared in her body. She managed to drag him over to lay next to Natsu, who had also slumped over in Lucy's arms — when did she get here? — before she herself fell. This time, Lucy grabbed her and propped her up against a crumbling wall.

"Lucy-chan...." Juvia murmured, the edges of her vision going dark. "Juvia is glad that you're okay...."

"Me too, Juvia.... just rest now, alright?" Lucy's voice was fading. Juvia didn't know when the next time she'd be awake (or safe, for that matter), so she had to tell the blonde her feelings right now, before it was too late.

"Lucy-chan..... I love you.... I always have......" Juvia managed to whisper.

_Glad I got that off my chest....._

She didn't get to hear Lucy's response, because she blacked out right after.

**Author's Note:**

> basically, just reread ft chapters 499, 500, and 507 with the idea that Gray and Juvia aren't romantically shipped 😌
> 
> skimmed over the rest of Gray vs. Invel.... and Natsu and Gray's fight bc tbh that was bullshit
> 
> hope you liked it. peace ✌🏾
> 
> ([tumblr](https://sunsofmars.tumblr.com/))


End file.
